Moving Target: Microsoft's Relevant Search Engine Is Forever Six Months Out
from the stop-making-predictions dept
Microsoft's top execs might want to cut down on the whole predictions business. Last June, Steve Ballmer was quoted saying that Microsoft's search engine would introduce a search engine that would match Google's relevance in six months. Well, January 28th (exactly six months) came and went. Incidentally, this was about the same time that Bill Gates had promised to stomp out spam. Anyway, a month later, and suddenly Microsoft is out saying that this time it's only going to be another six months before their search engine is as good as Google's in the US. Either way, just getting to meet or beat Google in relevance is probably not enough to get people to switch. For many users, Google remains "good enough." Other search engines need to come up with something that is overwhelmingly better -- to the point that people feel compelled to switch. It seems unlikely that such a battle will be fought just over relevancy, however, but in some other area where Google doesn't have as much expertise.
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Leverage
So, you don't think that setting the default internet search engine to MSN in:
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Outlook
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Office
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IE
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Windows Explorer
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Access
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Windows Media Player
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Movie Maker
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Paint
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Solitaire and
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Pinball
...will be enough to turn the tide?MjM
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No Subject Given
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stop being a portal
simple as that - and IF MSN does make their search engine on par with Google, they'd go do something stupid like put it inbetween a crapload of ads, or with the release of IE7, M$ will be so conceited they wont see just how much MSN and IE suck, and IE7 will render the whole page improperly, putting the search bar behind 20 layers of text, pictures, and ads...
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Re: stop being a portal
Check search.yahoo.com and search.msn.com
Simple and no ads.
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No Subject Given
they dont go to search.google.com so their not gonna wanna go to search.yahoo.com either
for example, somebody asks u something and u say google it and they know its google.com not "search.yahoo" it
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Re: No Subject Given
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six months to new search?
Vista is six months out.
Its my bet that Microsft's new search tool won't be a revamped MSN - it will be in the heart of Vista - and embedded on the desktop. Or is that a given, and I'm just catching up?
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Re: six months to new search?
There was mention that Microsoft won't integrate the latest search tools right into Vista. They actually learned their lesson from all the previous monopolhy lawsuits.
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New math
So, they're even wronger.
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Re: stop being a portal
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Re: Leverage
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Re: Leverage
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Re: six months to new search?
I'm running the Vista Feb 2006 CTP release. The search *is* integrated in the desktop. It can be accessed via the Start button (the search feature is a peer to the Run option). The search works exactly like Google desktop search.
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Problem with Microsoft vs. Google
My suspicion is that Microsoft will never be able to bounce back from the Google's derailing blow.
Google is inherently better than Microsoft because they are learning and exploiting the gaps and weaknesses in Microsoft's business plan. They have taken the role of the successor to Microsoft in virtually every way.
Google will be a leader throughout the 2000's, but even it will necessarily succomb to the unpredictable market changes of the future. What is required to 'take over' in this kind of industry is a tech-focused business model that is 'refreshing' to everyone in the tech community. Google's new ideas and simple features quenched the unfulfilled needs of the market, and refreshed the minds of tech people everywhere.
Microsoft's glory days will remain a 80's and 90's phenomenon. Sure, Microsoft has enough stuff going on nowadays that it won't go away, but they are submitting to Google in a big way. I would suspect a significant paradigm shift from Microsoft in the coming years where they find something new to focus on.
Maybe they will turn into a discount shoe company.
JB in OH
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Microsoft Search Engine
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Re: Problem with Microsoft vs. Google
Besides, having a personalized Google home page all in AJAX kicks my ass.
Justin
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Re: Problem with Microsoft vs. Google
Until Google OS comes out (and yes, I would be the first to get it) and manages to take a significant part of the market share, let's not bury old man Microsoft yet. I hate to say it but I've heard this song before (OS/2, Redhat Linux, blah, blah blah) and I'm not dancin until someones proves its not a one hit wonder! Everyone says its doomsday for Microsoft, mostly because we want it to be, but like a cockroach, Windows keeps crawling its way around (primarily because it IS the standard for desktop consumer OS, whether we like to admit it or not.)
BTW, I use Redhat Linux on my machine as not to participate in the Microsoft monopoly but I don't delude myself into thinking most people use it or would be able to use it easily.
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No Subject Given
Google stays ahead of the tech curve in inovation and it doesn't really cost me a thing
M$ follows the curve and it cost's me $300 bucks every couple of years.
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Re: No Subject Given
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Re: six months to new search?
It's already integrated. Has been since Build 5270. We're all the way to feature complete Beta 2 Build 5308 now. It's not leaving soon. It is also in IE7 and can't be changed yet
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Re: Problem with Microsoft vs. Google
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M$ will win
MS may not be the best in innovation but they are definately good in better-ing things .
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